Researcher

Fields of Research (FoR)

Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Public Health and Health Services

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Biography

I am a Senior Lecturer in Biostatistics and Director of Teaching at the Centre for Big Data Research in Health. Prior to joining UNSW, I worked as a Lecturer in Biostatistics at the Western Sydney University.

I am an experienced biostatistician with 15 years of experience in the analysis of routinely collected administrative datasets, with specific interest in complex and linked health data. My interest in health data linkage begun in 2006,...view more

I am a Senior Lecturer in Biostatistics and Director of Teaching at the Centre for Big Data Research in Health. Prior to joining UNSW, I worked as a Lecturer in Biostatistics at the Western Sydney University.

I am an experienced biostatistician with 15 years of experience in the analysis of routinely collected administrative datasets, with specific interest in complex and linked health data. My interest in health data linkage begun in 2006, and since then I have been involved in numerous projects involving large-scale linked datasets spanning health, community care and cohort studies.

My research interests include health services research, population ageing, multimorbidity, data linkage methods and the use of routinely linked administrative datasets in statistical modelling. I am currently among the chief investigators on a RCT of nasal balloon auto-inflation for otitis media with effusion in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. I have worked on numerous commissioned government projects, as am currently directing, convening and teaching courses in the postgraduate programs of Health Data Science at UNSW.


My Grants

Chief investigator role

  • Abbott, P., Reath, J., Gunasekera, H., Leach , A., Kong, K., Askew, D., Girosi, F., Hu, W., Usherwood, T., Lujic, S. A multi-centre randomised controlled trial to compare nasal balloon autoinflation versus no nasal balloon autoinflation for otitis media with effusion in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children (the INFLATE trial) (NHMRC #1120317)  – $2,534,580 (current)
  • Jorm L, Leyland A, Churches T, Haines M, Eades S, Lujic S. Exploring the contribution of individual-, area- and service-level factors to Indigenous health outcomes (NHMRC #573113) – $469,000 

Associate investigator role

  • Hospital trajectories for 15 million Australians (NHMRC grant #2013323) - $655,935 (current)
  • Randomised controlled trial of watchful waiting versus antimicrobial treatment for acute otitis media without perforation in low risk Aboriginal children (NHMRC #1046266) - $1,640,326 (current)
  • Are ‘potentially preventable hospitalisations’ a valid measure of the quality and affordability of primary and community care in Australia? (NHMRC #1036858) - $387,140

My Qualifications

PhD (UNSW), MBiostat (USyd), MStats (UNSW), BSc (Hons I) (UNSW)


My Awards

I have been awarded for my teaching on several occasions, including UNSW Faculty of Medicine and Health Education awards for Educational Excellence and a Students’ Choice Award for Inspirational Teaching in 2022, and a team award in for Excellent in the Design or Development of Programs in 2018. In 2022 I also received an honorable mention for UNSW Exemplary Teaching practice (ETP) award for inspiring students.


My Research Supervision


Areas of supervision

Comorbidity and multimorbidity, analysis of linked health datasets


Currently supervising

PhD student from UTS


My Teaching

I currently convene and teach in the following subjects: 

  • HDAT9100 - Context of Health Data Science (2018 - present)
  • HDAT9400 - Management and Curation of Health Data (2018 - present)

I have previously taught in the following subjects, short courses and workshops:

  • HDAT9200 - Statistical Foundations of Health data science (Convenor 2021)
  • HDAT600 - Statistical Modelling I (convenor 2019)
  • HDAT970 - Statistical Modelling II (chapter convenor 2018 - 2021)
  • Advanced Analysis of Linked Data (Tutor, 2017)
  • Managing Big Data in Health Research short course (Convenor and Lecturer, 2015-2016)
  • Introductory Analysis of Linkedat data USyd (chapter convenor 2008 - 2019)
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Location

Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) Building
Street address:
Level 2, AGSM building (G27)


Postal:
Gate 11, Botany St
Randwick NSW 2031

Map reference (Google map)

Contact

+61 9065 7875